Flats
for oustees at cheap ratesChandigarh, November 29As many as 5,000 families of
villagers who were ousted more than 30 years ago to develop the second
phase of the city (Sectors 31 to 47) Industrial Area and to expand the
airport in the city will now have to pay a nominal cost for owning
flats which are to come up under a special rehabilitation scheme for
them in Sector 63.

Missing
boy strangulatedChandigarh, November 29A six-and-a-half-year-old boy, who went
missing from his Sector 32 home on last Wednesday, was today found
dead at a secluded place along the Dakshin Marg in Sector 29 here. The
victim, Nihal, had apparently been strangulated before being dumped
there.

Police personnel take away the body of six-year-old Nihal (inset) whose body was found in
Sector-29, Chandigarh, on Friday. — Photo Pankaj Sharma

HUDA
to develop plots in Panchkula ExtensionPanchkula, November 29The near total failure of group
housing societies in Panchkula Extension here has jolted Haryana Urban
Development Authority. It now proposes to develop the land allotted to
group housing societies here as residential plots.

PU
in a fix over students’ attendanceChandigarh, November 29As the plot of lecture shortage
at the Law Department thickens, Panjab University is poised to be
trapped in a Catch-22 situation over cases more than 30 lectures short
of the required number.

Burglaries
bare chinks in police patrollingChandigarh, November 29The sensational serial burglary
at 10 shops in markets of Sectors 34, 35 and 45 yesterday has once
again raised questions on the role of 65-odd Police Control Room
vehicles stationed at pre-determined points in the city.

Admn,
NTPC sign power pactChandigarh, November 29In order to meet the power demand
and to combat any sort of power crisis in the city, the Chandigarh
Administration today signed power purchase agreements with National
Thermal Power Corporation for five projects, namely, Kahalgaon STPS
Stage-II, North Karanpura STPS, Barh STPS, Dadri-II and Unchahar-III.

BJP councillors Kamala Sharma, Gian Chand Gupta and Rajesh Gupta oppose the censure resolution passed by the House in Chandigarh on Friday.
— A Tribune photograph

Forest
Hill attracts starsChandigarh,
November 29The Forest Hill Golf and
Country Club is in the starry news. Bollywood stars have landed
on this resort not to play golf, but to shoot in JP Dutta’s
LoC.

Abhishek Bachchan and Esha Deol during the shooting of ‘LoC’ at the Forest Hill Golf and Country Club, near Chandigarh, on Thursday evening.

Chandigarh, November
29Even her willingness to
donate a kidney to save the life of her 32-year-old son, might not
help, as a sum of Rs 3 lakhs would be required for kidney
transplant, which Dinesh Joshi, a resident of Rishikesh, in
Uttaranchal needs at the earliest. “We have even sold off our
land to raise money for his treatment,” says 60-year-old Satya
Suri, while assisting her frail son in walking.

Satya Devi with her son, Dinesh.

Taste
of adventure at carnivalChandigarh, November 29For those who care to taste
adventure, Leisure Valley is the place to be for the next three days.
Right at the entrance to the carnival, which will roll tomorrow from 11
am, a virtual reality ride will greet fun lovers of the city. Developed
by Stealth Amusement, the ride is the first simulating ride of its kind
in the entire country and it has been developed after extensive research
on adventure rides by the said company.

Chandigarh, November
29The relay fast by traders
continued today and it got a boost, with former MP Satya Pal Jain
coming out in favour of the tenants.He
joined the protesters against the recent amendment to the East
Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, 1949.

Former MP Satyapal Jain addresses the traders protesting against the rent Act in Chandigarh on Friday.
— A Tribune photograph

Owners
flay traders on black-flag issueChandigarh, November 29The role of the Chandigarh Beopar
Mandal in showing black flags to the UT Administrator has come in for
sharp criticism from the UT Villages Property Owners Association.
Another body, the Property Owners Welfare Association today alleged that
statements of the mandal officials showed that the traders had malicious
intention of usurping others’ property in the garb of tenants.

Rape
victim seeks quashing of FIRChandigarh, November 29Adding a twist to the ongoing
controversy, a Shimla district resident who was allegedly raped after
losing her consciousness, today sought the quashing of the FIR
registered in the matter by the Chandigarh Police on August 15 after
blaming the cops for twisting the facts.

Policy
to check cattle menace soonChandigarh, November 29The Municipal Corporation of
Chandigarh here today decided to formulate a policy to check cattle
menace in the city. The Sanitation Committee would be asked to formulate
a policy which would be placed before the House for adoption and
discussion, sources said.

Woman
suffers burns while cookingChandigarh, November 29A 35-year-old woman, Hansi Devi,
was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32,
with 80 per cent burn injuries after she caught fire while cooking on a
kerosene stove in Sector 36 yesterday afternoon.

A
book lovers’ paradiseChandigarh, November
29Over one lakh books of
different descriptions are adorning the shelves of Browser, which
kick started its fourth annual book fair in Sector 8 this morning.
Participating this time in the fair are leading publishing houses
like the Oxford University Press, India Book House, Tata McGraw
Hill, Roli Books, UBS Publishers, Navneet Publications,
Encyclopedia Brittanica, Rupa and Company and many others.

Visitors go around the book fair that kicked off at Browser Library, Sector 8-C, Chandigarh,
on Friday. — A Tribune photograph

Employees
resent introduction of VRSChandigarh, November 29Electronic Systems Punjab Limited,
an SAS Nagar-based public sector unit of Punjab State Industrial
Development Corporation, has introduced a voluntary retirement scheme
for its 300 employees. The authorities have fixed November 30 as the
last date for submitting applications under the scheme.

MIA
panel reconstitutedSAS Nagar, November 29The Executive Committee of the
Mohali Industries Association was reconstituted here today in order to
resolve the differences between two groups of the association.

Agro
Tech 2002: driving an industry in transitionChandigarh, November 29CII’s Agrotech 2002, which opens
tomorrow in Chandigarh, has come at an interesting moment for the
region. Unlike in the past, this year agriculture is in full transition,
and the states themselves are the drivers of change.

Company
clarifiesChandigarh, November 29Mr Puneet Nanda and Mr Rajeev
Dugala, Managing Director and Director of Cossets Marketing Pvt Ltd,
respectively, have asserted that their company was engaged in a totally
lawful business of multi-level marketing.

Dalit
perspective advocatedChandigarh, November 29The middle-class is emerging from
the ranks of marginalised groups in effecting the process of empowerment
under the changing times. This was stated by Prof S.L. Sharma, Dean of
the School of Social Sciences, Panjab University, in his keynote address
at the inauguration of the two-day conference of the North-West Indian
Sociological Association at Panjab University here today.

Valedictory
function of CEDTISAS Nagar, November 29The Centre for Electronic Design
and Technology of India here organised the valedictory function for the
international participants undergoing specialised training programme in
Multimedia, PC and Telecommunication technologies in Chandigarh here
today.

School
functionPanchkula, November 29The three-day annual function
celebrations of Manav Mangal School concluded at Tagore Theatre here
today. The function was today staged for the students of Classes VIII to
X and their parents.

Bail
plea in paper-leak case rejectedChandigarh, November 29A petition seeking the grant of
anticipatory bail filed in paper-leak case by a Junior Assistant with
the Punjab Nurses Registration Council at SAS Nagar — Charanjit Singh
— was yesterday rejected by Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall of the Punjab
and Haryana High Court.

HIGH COURTSidhu
denied bailChandigarh, November 29Punjab Public Service
Commission’s former Chairman Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu’s petition
seeking the grant of bail in a cheating and forgery case registered
against him by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau was dismissed today by a
Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Chandigarh, November
29Choosing love over success is
not everybody’s way of life. But the younger Deol believes
firmly in the power of love to make things happen. That is
precisely why he was romancing young Tanya Ahuja even before he
had hit ground in the film industry and he had already led her to
the altar before attaining the so-called star status.

Bobby Deol with his friend Budhwant Singh at the latter’s SAS Nagar residence on Friday.

Spice to bring
‘Women in Black’ to cityChandigarh, November 29Spice Communications Ltd. will
organise a play in the city titled ‘Women in Black’ on December 2
for its customers in association with Durga Das Foundation. The play
will be staged at Tagore Theatre Sector 18.

Move
to curtail powers of PGI MS?Chandigarh, November 29Is the curtailment of powers of
senior doctors, holding administrative posts in the PGI within a short
span of one month an attempt towards cutting the powers of the Medical
Superintendent ?

EVENING OPDPGI
faculty to meet ministerChandigarh, November 29With the PGI Director, Prof S.K.
Sharma, who had rushed to New Delhi to discuss the issue of evening OPD
with the Health Minister, failing to meet Mr Shatrughan Sinha today,
uncertainty continues on the issue of meeting the December 2, deadline.

Navjot
to release book on Sikh sportstarsChandigarh, November 29A number of international
sportsmen, both past and present, will assemble at the Chandigarh Press
Club tomorrow (November 30) where former dashing opening batsman and
highly acclaimed cricket commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu will release the
book ‘‘Sikh sportstars — Past & Present’’, written by
Harbans Singh Virdi, a city-based author. This is Virdi’s sixth book.

Roller
skating tournament beginsChandigarh, November 29The Secretary, Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, Government of India, Mr L.M. Mehta, has promised to
give whole-hearted attention to roller skating in the near future. Mr
Mehta said since now roller skating would be a medal sport for the 2006
Asian Games at Doha (Qatar) and also in the 32nd National Games, the
Government of India would also seek the possibility of giving the sport
a further boost.

Badminton
meet

Sports day

Karate
tourney

Silver medal

Snooker
matches

Carrom
tourney

TRIBUNE
IMPACTTrials
for UT roller skating team todayChandigarh, November 29The Chandigarh Roller Skating
Association finally rose from slumber and decided to hold the
selection trials for the men and women roller skating team that
would represent the UT in the 32nd National Games. Earlier, the
CRSA had announced to hold the trials on December 2 whereas the
Chandigarh Olympic Association had given the deadline of November
30.

Action
sought against illegal coloniesKharar, November 29The Kharar Sub-Divisional
Magistrate, Mr Sukhwinder Singh Gill, has written to the Deputy
Commissioner, Ropar, informing her about the mushrooming of 15 illegal
colonies in Kharar and has in addition recommended that action should be
initiated in this regard.

Police
steps up vigilPanchkula, November 29It was once bitten twice shy for
Panchkula police. After a robbery at a cooperative bank at Karanpur
village earlier this month and a series of burglaries in Chandigarh
yesterday, they were unwilling to leave anything to chance on the pay
disbursement day today.